How do you cosleep?

[SoonToBe]

Just curious...

Do you put the baby on your chest and sleep on your back all night?  On your side with baby on his back next to you?  On your side with baby on his side facing/against you?

Just wondering what works best for you.  I mostly have him on my chest but sometimes he starts wiggling and it keeps me up even though he stays asleep.

[egmaranian]

Tummy to tummy on our sides. Works great and we both sleep all night. I just leave a boob out for him to latch on to when needed.

[Italiamom]

I sleep shirtless and on my side, with Martha mostly on her side facing me. I usually swaddle her, as she seems to sleep for longer periods that way.

[cat13]

I can't sleep with him on my chest, but DH will do that when River is being especially fussy. Usually he sleeps right between us, but the only way that works is if he's swaddled and has the ipod near him playing some kind of white noise... Right now it's ocean sounds!

We have a crib that's ready to be side carred to my side of the bed, but haven't wanted to set it up yet. At first, DH was worried he migh roll over onto River, but we wake up so often that it's just not possibleto do that. Also, DH likes having him closeo both of us.

[SouthernStormy]

We have an arms reach cosleeper, which she sleeps i most of the time. Though lately she has not been wanting to go back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night, so DH or I will let her sleep on our chest- it seems to be the easiest way for her to go back to sleep and stay asleep

[openpollination]

Either on my chest, across my belly (after nursing, then I just slide down to be nearly reclined), or on a wool pad in between my husband and I on the bed. Last night Ro fell asleep facing the bottom of the bed with his butt in the air and his head to the side. He seemed comfy, so I just left him!

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by egmaranian 

Tummy to tummy on our sides. Works great and we both sleep all night. I just leave a boob out for him to latch on to when needed.

Awe.  

On the couch/recliner, he sleeps on my chest.  In the bed, at first we are facing each other and he's in the crook of my arm.  After I'm sure he's asleep, I lift his head and remove my arm, and then I lay on my back next to him.  He mostly sleeps swaddled on his side facing me.  

[kylaskye]

It changes so many times throughout the night. Sometimes he wants to be closer to me so I let him sleep on ymy belly. Other times he sleeps on his back with me next to him or on his side against me if we were nursing laying down. (Any suggestions on how to get a good latch that way?)

[mareseatoats]

Originally Posted by egmaranian 

Tummy to tummy on our sides. Works great and we both sleep all night. I just leave a boob out for him to latch on to when needed.

This is what we do, too. I just sleep shirtless. I love it so much! I can't imagine not cosleeping.

[nald1]

Originally Posted by mareseatoats 

This is what we do, too. I just sleep shirtless. I love it so much! I can't imagine not cosleeping.

Im trying this tonight- i end up shirtless anyways with all the leaking going on.  

[Baby_Cakes]

I don't get the shirtless thing, I get so COLD!  Most nights I sleep in a shirt AND a robe.  Plus I tuck a prefold under my t-shirt to hold it there on the leaky boob while I'm nursing on the other side.  I need that built in prefold holder!  LOL!

[veggiemomto2]

Basically baby laying in the nook of my arm while on and off nursing. Sometimes on my chest.

[jillybeans]

In bed we start out with him facing up (getting congested with all the smoke from the wildfires in the air) on my arm, me facing him. Then when he latches on, I usually fall asleep right away, and wake up hours and hours later with my boob hanging out of his mouth. lol!

[earth-mama]

Mostly we sleep tummy to tummy on our sides, but sometime DS lays on his back.  I usually wear a LS shirt because I get cold and put a prefold on the other boob to catch leaks.  

I am planning on ordering a snoogle pregnancy pillow because I need some more support while side lying--my back gets pretty sore.  have any of you used one of these pillows?

[Beckily]

At first, he slept on Dusty always. On his chest or in his arms. Now he's in mama phase, so he's against me more - but I can't have him on me.  He starts out the night swaddled between our heads and usually does 3-4 hrs, then he's up for an hour or so and side nurses to sleep between us and then I put him on his back - he snuggles to my side and we sleep on our backs, very close and sweaty. That's not my favorite because I have to have my side uncovered so that his head isn't.

OR, if he's really fussy, I come out to the recliner where we spend our days and he sleeps across my boobs/stomach. That's his favorite.

[cat13]

Originally Posted by Beckily 

At first, he slept on Dusty always. On his chest or in his arms. Now he's in mama phase, so he's against me more - but I can't have him on me.  He starts out the night swaddled between our heads and usually does 3-4 hrs, then he's up for an hour or so and side nurses to sleep between us and then I put him on his back - he snuggles to my side and we sleep on our backs, very close and sweaty. That's not my favorite because I have to have my side uncovered so that his head isn't.

OR, if he's really fussy, I come out to the recliner where we spend our days and he sleeps across my boobs/stomach. That's his favorite.

This is what we do when nothing else works too. 
 

[egmaranian]

I would just go shirtless during the warm months, but we have ds1 in the bed too and if he sees an uncovered boob, he'll try to latch on. I just got him night weaned and I don't want him to regress now.

In the winter months, I get way too cold since I don't keep any heavy blankets on the bed while babies are small. Then it's long sleeves and a robe or sweatshirt.

[Jbouck5]

We have a baby delight snuggle nest (it's like a travel bed type thing) that we put in between us. I can't sleep with her on me, I wake up too easily, and she seems to really like her little bed. I hope that this will make the transition to her own bed easier once she isn't nursing at night anymore. Sometimes if she wakes up early and I want to go back to sleep but she wants to get up, we'll lay tummy to tummy so she's happy and I can get an extra hour or so. 

[HawaiianBlesing]

We do whatever works.  We will sleep tummy to tummy if I nurse him down but I usually have to shift to my back because it gets sore sometimes.  Sometimes he end up on my chest if he's fussy or one of us needs extra comfort.  Sometimes he will sleep on my belly in the kneeling position.  I do use blankets and pillows but am very conscious about their placement.

I don't know how you gals sleep topless.  The leaking here is so out of control, I'm wearing pads full time.   It's a PITA

[elevena true]

this is how we co-sleep in this house......

and like this....

of course, i am right here while these sprawls are going on. my middle kiddo is a wild woman in bed. she ends up in the craziest positions. i wouldn't trust her asleep in the bed alone with my baby for 5 seconds. she is even acrobatic in her sleep. the other night, no matter how i moved y or her while they slept, she would move again until her feet made a 90 degreee angle with her head. omg!

i will echo what other folks have said.... we are mostly sleeping tummy to tummy. i sleep shirtless too, which makes the night time nursing soooooo easy.